Willard John Smith (May 14, 1910 – April 1, 2000) served as the 13th

commandant of the United States Coast Guard The commandant of the Coast Guard is the service chief and highest-ranking member of the United States Coast Guard. The commandant is an Admiral (United States), admiral, appointed for a four-year term by the president of the United States upon ...

from 1966 to 1970. He was born in

Suttons Bay, Michigan Suttons Bay is a village in Leelanau County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 618 at the 2010 census. The village was incorporated in 1898 and is located within Suttons Bay Township. History The community is named for one of ...

, and was the son of Oscar Smith, a retired commissioned

warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...

in the U.S. Coast Guard and his wife, Emma Bequist. Upon graduation from high school in

Charlevoix, Michigan Charlevoix ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Charlevoix County. The population was 2,348 at the 2020 census. Charlevoix is mostly surrounded by Charlevoix Township, but the two are administered autonomously ...

, he entered the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, but later transferred to the

United States Coast Guard Academy The United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) is a service academy of the United States Coast Guard in New London, Connecticut. Founded in 1876, it is the smallest of the five U.S. service academies and provides education to future Coast Gu ...

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decades ...

. Upon graduation from the academy in 1933, he was assigned to a

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...

-based Coast Guard cutter and later served as an aide to Commandant Russell R. Waesche from 1936 to 1939.Johnson, p. 259 During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he was assigned to the Coast Guard's aviation branch and was responsible for the construction and commissioning of

Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco is a United States Coast Guard Air Station located 13 miles south of downtown San Francisco, California at the San Francisco International Airport in an unincorporated area of San Mateo County. The air sta ...

, California, where he was assigned to duty until 1946. From 1946 to 1948, he served as commander of

Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City was established in 1946 and operates under the authority of the United States Coast Guard's Ninth District (USCG). It is situated on the southern end of Grand Traverse Bay in Northern MichiganArmed Forces Staff College The Joint Forces Staff College (JFSC), located in Norfolk, Virginia, was established as the Armed Forces Staff College in 1946 and incorporated into the National Defense University in August 1981. It educates and acculturates joint and multinat ...

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

. From 1962 to 1965, he served as superintendent of the United States Coast Guard Academy. From 1965, until his appointment as commandant, he served as commander of the

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

-based 9th Coast Guard District. As commandant in 1967, he oversaw the transfer of the Coast Guard from the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and t ...

to the

United States Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the President of the United States and ...

.Johnson, pp. 341–343 Upon completion of his service as Coast Guard Commandant in June 1970, he moved to

Traverse City, Michigan Traverse City ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was ...

. The following October, he was appointed as Assistant Secretary for Safety and Consumer Affairs at the

, serving under then-

Secretary of Transportation A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a wh ...

John A. Volpe until July 1971, when he returned to Traverse City. In 1973 he became admiral of the

Great Lakes Maritime Academy The Great Lakes Maritime Academy at Northwestern Michigan College is located on West Grand Traverse Bay in Traverse City, Michigan. The academy was established in 1969 as a Maritime college to train men and women to be licensed mariners on ships o ...

in Traverse City, Michigan and held the position until 1974. He subsequently moved to

Atlantic Beach, Florida Atlantic Beach is a city in Duval County, Florida, United States and part of the Jacksonville Beaches communities. When the majority of communities in Duval County consolidated with Jacksonville in 1968, Atlantic Beach, along with Jacksonville Bea ...

, where his wife, the former Harriet A. Lary died on February 2, 2000, two months before he himself died, aged 89. His remains were interred alongside his late wife at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

.Burial Detail: Smith, Willard J (section 4, grave 3321-A)
– ANC Explorer At the time of his death, he was the oldest-living former Coast Guard Commandant.

Dates of rank

Notes

Citations

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Willard J. 1910 births 2000 deaths Commandants of the United States Coast Guard United States Coast Guard admirals United States Coast Guard Aviation United States Coast Guard Academy alumni People from Leelanau County, Michigan People from Charlevoix, Michigan People from Atlantic Beach, Florida Military personnel from Michigan Military personnel from Florida Burials at Arlington National Cemetery University of Michigan alumni